


When Greg Met Lion

by FruitfulMind



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-09 20:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11112459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FruitfulMind/pseuds/FruitfulMind
Summary: Greg was just expecting to spend some time with Rose. He wasn't expecting a furry visitor, or a shocking revelation of said visitor.





	When Greg Met Lion

Greg kicked his feet up next to Rose, his hands resting on his stomach. The both of them were listening to some music that Greg had prepared; Rose's music, her first mixtape. He was humming along to the riff as he played an imaginary guitar, with Rose watching on, love in her eyes. Just as he hopped up on the table to start playing farther, he heard footsteps, footsteps louder than human ones.  
  
He quickly sat up to pause the music, his eyes searching around the room for something to use as a weapon. Before he could reach, the culprit came hulking around the corner, it's large mane appearing before it's face. It shook it's mane before it turned to the duo, staring at them. They stared back, Rose being the first of the two to react.  
  
"You're back!" Greg heard her say. She sounded _way_ too joyful for his liking. He could only gawk and stare at her familiarity with the creature, as if she was greeting an old friend, instead of a giant wild cat. No amount of baseball bats or golf clubs was going to protect Greg this time.  
  
Greg felt his heart racing in his chest a his face paled. "Rose, that's a... That's a _lion_." He whispered out in a barely bated breath. The lion stared at him with a vague expression. The only thing it really did was look to Rose again, and tilt it's head to the side.  
  
"Oh!" She seemed surprised. Did she really not know the name of the creature? "So your name is Lion." She reached her hand out with a smile. Greg's heart leaped again in his chest; she really was going to be the death of him. But the creature didn't flinch, bite, or growl at the woman. He only lowered his head respectively towards the oncoming hand.  
  
Greg had so many questions to ask her. How did she meet a lion... where? Why was it allowing her to pet it? _Why was it **pink**?_ "I... uh..." He was at a loss for words. It wasn't the first time she caused him to lose his train of thought. She was a mysterious woman. "How did you... Why is it..."  
  
Rose seemed to be oblivious towards the human's questions, and instead focused on petting the pink lion. The lion's eyes had shut at the feeling of her hand coursing through his mane as he rested by her feet, content. "Would you like to pet him?" Greg had to ask her to repeat the question. As she turned to face him, she asked again, "Would you like to pet him?"  
  
Outside, Greg seemed to be cool. But inside? He was freaking out worse than the time Vidalia had asked him to babysit her son. "Pet the... the _lion_?" He asked incredulously. As she moved out of the way, she nodded to Greg. Every instinct inside of Greg was shouting at him that this was a dumb idea and that he was going to die. As he inched toward the placate animal, he felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face. Thankfully, the animal seemed to be dozing off. With a surge of adrenaline, Greg stretched his hand out to touch his pink fur.  
  
_Nope. Nope. Nope._ Screamed Greg's thoughts as the animal opened one eye, staring intently at him. His hand froze midair, and he swore in that second that he had died. Just as he was about to jerk his hand away, he felt a warm and soft hand touch his own, guiding him to the fur. Rose smiled as she controlled his hand to pet the creature slowly. Lion opened his mouth, but merely showed his teeth off and rolled onto his back, showing his belly off. Still, Greg and Rose continued to pet the giant cat. But as their hands drifted away from the lion, Greg couldn't shake one little problem he was having.  
  
As if confirming it for himself, he said, "It has a really slow heartbeat, Rose." The creature was warm, and obviously very much alive -- but it's heart wasn't beating like it normally should; maybe it didn't have a heartbeat? Greg wasn't sure if it was his own imagination, he had felt Lion's chest rising and falling. Was that it?  
Rose looked at him, confusion crossing her features. "A heartbeat?" She repeated, her gaze moving back to the giant lion.  
  
"Yeah, you know... it's... it's..." Greg made a motion to his own chest. "Its heart isn't beating like it should."  
  
Even with the confusion in her voice, she seemed relatively calm over the matter. "Is that a problem?" She asked. Greg was making such a big deal over heartbeats. Were they a normal thing for Earthern lives to have?  
  
Greg squawked out, "Yes!" He caught both Lion's and Rose's attention with his wide and sporadic movement of his hands. "Everything has a heartbeat; humans have heartbeats, I have a heartbeat, lions have them." Greg was worried about the lion's slow heartbeat. Or his lack one. Briefly, Greg found himself thinking how zombie lions were also a bigger threat than human zombies.  
  
Looking perturbed, Rose rose her hand to her chest, looking down at her tightened fist. Her brows had furrowed slightly, as if she was trying to focus on something. "Do I have a heartbeat, Greg?" Her voice was soft and gentle like an ocean breeze as she asked her sudden question. Greg sat up. He wasn't expecting her to ask such a thing.  
  
"I..." He trailed off. When they were together, he never really focused on if did or didn't have a heartbeat. "I'd have to listen." He admitted, feeling his cheeks brighten up and his hand nervously going behind his head, rubbing fervently at his neck. Rose nodded, and his mouth went dry, embarrassment furthering on his face.  
  
"Please?" She asked as she took one of his small hands in her larger ones, pulling the man closer to her. With a dry mouth, Greg nodded. He led his head against her chest, his eyes shut as he focused all his senses on the sound of her heartbeat. He kept his eyes shut for what felt like minutes, never once hearing a sound that resembled a beating heart. Still, the closeness of the two was a comfort. After a while, Rose's hand had found it's way into Greg's mane of hair, and she spindled a lock around her finger. "Well?" She asked with a gentle smile as she looked down to the rockstar. "Do I have a heartbeat?" She could barely suppress the grin that was growing, the gentle laugh lines of her face creasing as she gazed at Greg. Having long forgotten about the initial plan and having lost himself in the closeness of the Gem, Greg felt his face flush.  
  
"Do you!" He shouted in a sudden and flustered tone. His actions only furthered his embarrassment. "I don't hear one..." He admitted to her. He expected her face to fall, or her to become upset with his honesty. She laughed, instead. He looked up to her, confused with how she could remain so joyful. "What's so funny?"  
  
"You humans are so funny," she cooed to him, her hand still in the name he called hair. She smiled softly at him. "Does it make us so different because I don't have a heartbeat?" She asked. It suddenly hit Greg like a comet; Lion was still a lion, even if he didn't have a normal heartbeat. Rose was still Rose, even if she didn't have one, either. One laugh grew into two, the both of them cackling over how silly it was that it ever even mattered.


End file.
